Thursday, July 12, 2012

Lovely Layers mini cards

It's been awhile since I've been able to place a PTI order, and on a whim last month,  I added Lovely Layers and the square dies at the last second. And I'm so glad I did! It's been so much fun playing with them, and I've seen the coolest things made with them too. When I was experimenting with them, it seemed like they would make a nice mini card set. So I made several in many colors. The cards are 3-1/4" square.

For the first one, I used the negative diecut of the leaves to frame the flower.


I also made a softer, more feminine version.


The small sentiment is from the Mixed Messages set. So many of those mini sentiments fit perfectly in the flower's center and it's very simple to switch out the sentiment, if you need it for a different occasion. I embossed the entire  base of the card (front and back) using the Simple Stripes IP (love!), which adds a nice texture. Then I matted the inside with a piece of white cardstock, to keep from writing on the texture.

This one is similar to the first, but matted with a different square.


And the last one has a diecut similar to the first one, but I embossed the background with the woodgrain IP.


I added dimension to the leaves using the rock 'n roll technique, graduating to a darker color as I got to the end of the leaves. It helps to make the leaves pop and glow a bit more!

If you know any tips to line up the stamps with the diecut, I'd love to hear it! I had such a hard time lining these up. Here's a couple of tips I learned when using Lovely Layers: if you stamp on the diecuts, mat them from behind with the same color paper. If your stamping isn't exactly centered on the diecut, it somewhat helps to disguise it (for example: white on white). Also, I learned this tip and it makes a huge difference: stamp in versamark ink first, then ink up your stamp. The stickiness helps to hold the ink better so you don't get gaps in your coverage.

I'm entering this set of 4 cards into A Passion for Papertrey's Anything Goes challenge! It's been awhile since I played their challenge, and it's fun to be participating again!

Also, here are some updated photos of Alexander taken today. He's almost 10 months old now. He's got two teeth on the bottom and is getting four new teeth on top. He loves to jump in his jumper and has started to stand on his own too!



Then a few minutes after I took the pictures, I looked over at him and he had passed out in his jumper.


The first time he's done that, haha! Guess he jumped so much he wore himself out. :)

Thanks for taking a look and have a very sunny summer day! :)

15 comments:

Audrey said...

Monica, these cards are just gorgeous and so is your little man! He is growing so fast! Love that last picture of him passed out! LOL! :)

IamDerby said...

What a great little set of cards, you have outdone yourself!

Leigh Penner said...

What a great set of cards-- I love the colour combos you used!
And your son looks so sweet-- especially in the last photo where he's sleeping-- too cute!

Jennifer K said...

Ha - the picture of your son cracks me up. Isn't it funny how they can just drop off to sleep so quickly?! The cards are awesome - my favorite is the aqua mist one - love the colors in that one.

Colleen Wold said...

Such a pretty set of cards! I love all the different color combos!
And that picture of your little guy passed out is ADORABLE!
A tip for stamping on dies that has helped me is to use a dark piece of paper under the die cut you are stamping on. I used to use a white piece of scratch paper to stamp over, but now I use black or navy (it just helps the die cut piece stand out more). Hope that helps!

carol (krillsister) said...

Gorgeous set. I too made a set of cards using this stamp set. Love how you used the negative die to frame the flower. Also thanks for the tip about the sentiments.
Your little man is growing up so fast. Soooo adorable too!.

Terri said...

Great cards. I bought that set at the last minute too. I sill have not used it yet though. Thanks for the inspiration. Your little boy is a cutie!

Joyce said...

Your cards are wonderful and cute, but I have to say that they cannot compete in cuteness and sweetness with the pictures of Alexander. What a cutie. I can see in these pictures how happy and well loved he is. I take it you are still enjoying him. Glad he likes to jump because it is great exercise. Mine are 12 and 14, and they still love to jump every day on the trampoline, and it's great exercise.

Jocelyn Olson said...

First off, your little man is too cute! I love the sleeping picture--isn't it funny how they can be jumping one minute and sleeping the next? Second, I'm kicking myself for not purchasing those stamps and dies. Your mini cards are SO cool! You're making me want everything you're using. :)

Jenny said...

Lovely set! The colors are great. Your son's smile is infectious! Too cute.

Unknown said...

These are all great. Love how you used the largest die and used the negative. And you little boy is so sweet.

Jill Norwood said...

Your cards are gorgeous! Thanks for the tip about the sentiment stamps too! And the photos of your little one are adorable! My son just turned 8 and I still remember him being that age! Enjoy! :)

Emma said...

Your little boy is just adorable! Love these mini cards, the colours are beautiful.

Unknown said...

These are fantastic little cards - great way to use those mini messages! So glad you treated yourself to a spontaneous splurge - you deserve it! Love that pic of A. all passed out from play. One of those precious moments...

Cindy O said...

Beautiful cards and variations! and I recognize the one you sent me - it's even nicer in real life. Love how you used the negative cut on the two top and bottom cards. And love those happy photos of your son.

Related Posts with Thumbnails